Wadawurrung to drive cultural tourism plan

THE Wadawurrung Traditional Owners are being supported to develop their own plan to showcase the culture of their land through Victorian Government funding.

Geelong MP Christine Couzens visited the Fyansford Paper Mill on Friday last week to announce $300,000 would go to the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC) for their Feasibility Study and Cultural Tourism Plan Project.

Aligning with the Geelong City Deal, the project will allow WTOAC to evaluate the tourism potential of key cultural attractions on Wadawurrung Country and develop a tourism plan.

It will help drive visitation to culturally and spiritually significant Wadawurrung locations such as the You Yangs, Mt Buninyong, the Moorabool, Barwon and Yarrowee Rivers, and Lakes Burrumbeet and Learmonth, and foster the establishment of new cultural attractions.

Speaking at Fyansford Paper Mills, Wadawurrung woman Corrina Eccles said “every step we take on this Country is a story”.

“We look out here now and think of Fyansford – the place where the two rivers meet, the confluence comes together; a place our people travelled to and came together, they held ceremony here, they held festivals here, celebrating the eels coming down this river.

“This is just one example – this place is easily a two-hour cultural experience that we can be walking and talking and yarning and sharing and getting people to deep listen.

“Heading into Geelong, telling the stories of Djilang; Wangim Walk, looking across the water, telling the stories of Wurdi Youang and the stories of Moolap; continuing into the National Wool Museum, where we can share stories there; into Johnston Park. There’s a two-hour example of cultural tourism.

“We can be doing these all over this region, and we can have ownership of this.

“There is a lot of tourism happening in our region and being supported, but we need to be supported, and this is a great move forward.”

The lands of the Wadawurrung span more than 10,000 square kilometres across many municipalities including Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Queenscliffe, Ballarat, Golden Plains, Moorabool, Wyndham, Ararat, Corangamite, Melton, and Pyrenees.

The Victorian Government is also supporting the appointment of a dedicated Tourism Officer to support WTOAC as they develop the cultural tourism plan, part of the Victorian Government’s $633 million Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan.

“Cultural tourism improves community and visitor experiences through opportunities to learn about and celebrate Aboriginal culture, heritage and traditional land management practices,” Ms Couzens said.

“It’s important we work closely with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners to both preserve and promote Wadawurrung Country and create viable opportunities for Aboriginal culture to be experienced and enjoyed by all.”